# Help with computer monitor resolutions



## Sandstone-Shadow (Jun 2, 2009)

Alright. So basically I bought a game at a rummage sale for the PC, and it's a 1995 game. I loaded the CD, and the game (very slowly) started, but the screen flashed black a couple of times before returning to the menu, and I tried to exit out, but what ended up happening... well, I don't really know _what_ happened, but I'll try to explain it as best I can.

The monitor went completely black and then started displaying the "No Video Imput" box that it displays when my computer is off, but the power strip that the monitor is plugged into is still on. So basically it looked like I had turned off the computer but not the monitor. But my computer was still on.

So I didn't have a working monitor, so I restarted my computer (the unofficial way of hitting the power button).

Normally I use the screen resolution of 1440 by 900. The highest resolution I have now is 1280 by 1024. The 1440 by 900 option is just gone. I even tried doing a System Restore to the checkpoint that was created yesterday, long before I tried to load that game. But that didn't work; my 1440 by 900 resolution is still gone.

Help? How do I install more resolutions, or does someone perhaps know how to undo whatever happened, or maybe does someone even know _what_ happened? *crosses fingers*

Edit: Okay, I found something... (I'm using a Windows XP, by the way.) Under Display Properties and the Settings tab, I clicked Advanced. Then I unchecked the box that says, "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display." Then the 1440 by 900 resolution returned, along with a whole slew of other ones that may or may not work. I tried the highest one to see what would happen, and my screen blacked out with a message that read something to the fact of "This signal is out of range." After a few seconds it went back.

The thing that worries me is that under the box that I unchecked, it says that using those modes "may lead to an unusable display (which I encountered) and/or damaged hardware." The latter is what worries me more; I could use this resolution before, but now will there be any risks, do you think? Ugh...


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Jun 2, 2009)

What graphics card do you have? Installing the latest drivers could restore functionality with widescreen resolutions.

What OS do you have? You should try looking around for instructions on booting said game on a modern OS.

And what game was it?


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## Sandstone-Shadow (Jun 2, 2009)

^^; I don't know. How can I find out what graphics card and OS I have?

The game's called Caeser by Impressions Software Inc. All I have is the CD, so I don't have any other information on it, other than it's a 1995 game.


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## Doctor Jimmy (Jun 2, 2009)

It must have messed up your display drivers. If you use a graphics card, re-install them (although I'm not sure if this will work).


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Jun 2, 2009)

Caesar? The first one? I prefer Caesar III, but I suppose you take what you get. My favorite game from Impressions, though, is Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom.

Anyway, Start > Run... > type in 'dxdiag' and hit enter > OS (operating system) can be found under the 'System' tab and GPU can be found under the 'Display' tab.


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## Salazard (Jun 10, 2009)

I would say drivers.

Go to My Computer > View System Information > Hardware > Device Manager > And post anything that is labelled with a '?' or Red 'x'.

If there are things missing it is likely to be something to do with the Monitor or Graphics Card, in which case you just need to search for them on the net.


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